Greater good or individual right (Bentham or Rawls)? - Think Atheist2016-12-09T15:32:43Zhttp://www.thinkatheist.com/forum/topics/greater-good-or-individual-right-bentham-or-rawls?commentId=1982180%3AComment%3A1281236&xg_source=activity&feed=yes&xn_auth=noKant's categorical imperative…tag:www.thinkatheist.com,2013-03-24:1982180:Comment:12813502013-03-24T23:41:24.239ZUnseenhttp://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/Unseen
<p>Kant's categorical imperative ("Do only what you could will everyone else do under sufficiently similar circumstances") doesn't work, either. It all depends upon what one counts as sufficiently similar and one can tailor a description to allow or disallow an action. </p>
<p>Which decisions have an ethical dimension that needs to be considered? Can I collect rare stamps only if I can will that everyone in circumstances similar to mine should collect stamps? Does that mean they should be…</p>
<p>Kant's categorical imperative ("Do only what you could will everyone else do under sufficiently similar circumstances") doesn't work, either. It all depends upon what one counts as sufficiently similar and one can tailor a description to allow or disallow an action. </p>
<p>Which decisions have an ethical dimension that needs to be considered? Can I collect rare stamps only if I can will that everyone in circumstances similar to mine should collect stamps? Does that mean they should be collecting stamps?</p>
<p>Ethical choices are largely examined in retrospect. In the moment, people normally don't have time to give a choice a truly sufficient ethical consideration. Someone's breaking into my house. "Now what would Bentham say? But how about Rawls? Maybe Peirce or Kant should be considered as well. </p>
<p>Normally our acts don't reflect ethical consideration. Rather, they flow out of and reflect who we are. Our nature. Ethics doesn't even come into it.</p> The Churchill example shows h…tag:www.thinkatheist.com,2013-03-24:1982180:Comment:12813422013-03-24T22:04:02.567ZUnseenhttp://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/Unseen
<p>The Churchill example shows how murky ethical choices can be in extreme situations, and how difficult it can be to be sure which choice will achieve the best result. And Rawls' theory is so focused on individual rights that it's inapplicable to some of the harder real decisions our leaders and military people have to make, which are often of the "damned if I do, damned if I don't" variety.</p>
<p>The Churchill example shows how murky ethical choices can be in extreme situations, and how difficult it can be to be sure which choice will achieve the best result. And Rawls' theory is so focused on individual rights that it's inapplicable to some of the harder real decisions our leaders and military people have to make, which are often of the "damned if I do, damned if I don't" variety.</p> meant incompatible/ not contr…tag:www.thinkatheist.com,2013-03-24:1982180:Comment:12812872013-03-24T18:00:52.030Zonyango makagutuhttp://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/onyangomakagutu
<p>meant incompatible/ not contradictory. Thanks for the correction</p>
<p>meant incompatible/ not contradictory. Thanks for the correction</p> Do you mean "incompatibe" rat…tag:www.thinkatheist.com,2013-03-24:1982180:Comment:12813102013-03-24T17:57:41.815ZUnseenhttp://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/Unseen
<p>Do you mean "incompatibe" rather than "incoherent"? Incoherent would mean hard to understand.</p>
<p>Do you mean "incompatibe" rather than "incoherent"? Incoherent would mean hard to understand.</p> I don't know about that, but…tag:www.thinkatheist.com,2013-03-24:1982180:Comment:12813992013-03-24T17:54:55.354ZUnseenhttp://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/Unseen
<p>I don't know about that, but it's easier to participate if you have a basic idea of the terminology, which sometimes doesn't mean quite the same thing as it does in everyday language. Example: in philosophy a materialist is someone who believes that all that exists is matter and phenomena related to matter. By contrast, an idealist would say that everything is mental, a product of mind or ideas. Now, those are very broad examples, and particular materialists or idealists would define them…</p>
<p>I don't know about that, but it's easier to participate if you have a basic idea of the terminology, which sometimes doesn't mean quite the same thing as it does in everyday language. Example: in philosophy a materialist is someone who believes that all that exists is matter and phenomena related to matter. By contrast, an idealist would say that everything is mental, a product of mind or ideas. Now, those are very broad examples, and particular materialists or idealists would define them somewhat differently, but you can see how those terms mean something different in philosophy than in the conversation of people without a philosophy education.</p>
Thats right It isnt behavio…tag:www.thinkatheist.com,2013-03-24:1982180:Comment:12812852013-03-24T17:51:18.703ZAngela Evangeliahttp://www.thinkatheist.com/xn/detail/u_13yjnhy3fd7t0
<p> </p>
<p>Thats right It isnt behaviour that we want to promote because the greater society says no.</p>
<p>It intereferes with our yuk factor.</p>
<p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisdom_of_repugnance">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisdom_of_repugnance</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Thats right It isnt behaviour that we want to promote because the greater society says no.</p>
<p>It intereferes with our yuk factor.</p>
<p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisdom_of_repugnance">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisdom_of_repugnance</a></p>
No - it has nothing to do w…tag:www.thinkatheist.com,2013-03-24:1982180:Comment:12812832013-03-24T17:38:32.049ZAngela Evangeliahttp://www.thinkatheist.com/xn/detail/u_13yjnhy3fd7t0
<p> </p>
<p>No - it has nothing to do with statistics.</p>
<p>Asian people and non- asian people are normal.</p>
<p>If rape were made legal tomorrow, do you think that more people would start doing it?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>No - it has nothing to do with statistics.</p>
<p>Asian people and non- asian people are normal.</p>
<p>If rape were made legal tomorrow, do you think that more people would start doing it?</p>
When I saw Nates response t…tag:www.thinkatheist.com,2013-03-24:1982180:Comment:12813082013-03-24T17:35:07.611ZAngela Evangeliahttp://www.thinkatheist.com/xn/detail/u_13yjnhy3fd7t0
<p> </p>
<p>When I saw Nates response to this question - I thought, ohhhh thats the way it supposed to be discussed.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>When I saw Nates response to this question - I thought, ohhhh thats the way it supposed to be discussed.</p> Most people (60%) are Asian. …tag:www.thinkatheist.com,2013-03-24:1982180:Comment:12810792013-03-24T15:30:58.394ZStregahttp://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/MzStrega
<p>Most people (60%) are Asian. From a statistical point of view, then, non-asian humans are abnormal.</p>
<p>Most people (60%) are Asian. From a statistical point of view, then, non-asian humans are abnormal.</p> I have to admire your pluck,…tag:www.thinkatheist.com,2013-03-24:1982180:Comment:12810752013-03-24T14:09:27.492ZUnseenhttp://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/Unseen
<p>I have to admire your pluck, entering into a philosophical debate with people who appear to have the background to discuss this matter. Expect to get bruised but expect to learn as well. </p>
<p>I have to admire your pluck, entering into a philosophical debate with people who appear to have the background to discuss this matter. Expect to get bruised but expect to learn as well. </p>